Germany will no longer offer citizenship after three years of residency. Germany’s parliament has revoked its three-year fast-track naturalization pathway, which was introduced in 2024 as part of broader reforms for exceptionally well-integrated applicants.
The Bundestag has voted to repeal a fast-track citizenship law introduced under the previous government led by center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) leader Olaf Scholz, according to DW.
Following the elimination of the three-year option, foreign nationals will only be eligible for citizenship after five years of residence. This rule modification corresponds to the changing political scene in Germany.
Germany, under the leadership of the SPD coalition, introduced two new citizenship paths in July 2024, allowing immigrants to retain their first passport, a move that has been a significant step towards regaining citizenship in the EU. This move has been criticized for its previous approach of only allowing dual citizenship to EU citizens.
The first law reduced the citizenship application waiting time from eight years to five years, required a mid-level German comprehension certificate, and required proof of sufficient income to support oneself and their family. Before June 2024, foreign citizens seeking naturalization in Germany had to wait at least eight years.
The other was the fast-track option that permitted candidates to wait three years, provided they demonstrated advanced German understanding and other signs of well-integration into German society. The Bundestag has canceled the fast-track option.
In general, German citizenship is not established through birth on German territory but by descent from a German legal mother and/or a German legal father.
Since Jan. 1, 1970, the acquisition of German citizenship by marriage no longer exists. A foreign spouse can only naturalize if certain requirements are met.
Since January 1, 2000, children born in Germany to foreign parents, of whom at least one parent fulfills certain residence criteria, acquire German citizenship too.
If you were born in Germany before January 1, 2000, neither of your parents was German at the time of your birth, nor did they apply for your German citizenship, then you are not German.
People can become naturalized citizens based on either discretion or legal entitlement to German citizenship. When they are naturalized, they are granted citizenship through a decision of a public authority. Usually, only persons are naturalized who have already been living in Germany for a long period.